Global and sim specific chat channels

One of the main frustrations about the closing of the main forums is that there is no centralized place for us to converge as a community and talk. A sim cannot hold that many people, and there is no way to globally communicate information in SL right now - only the Lindens can get a message out. The 8 million forums popping up are not going to solve that problem, they are going to further fracture it because different groups will settle into different places. One thing that SL has always lacked that I think would be a great improvement would be global chat channels that we could join in and exit out of at will.

The example for them would be the chat channels in World of Warcraft and EQ2 - the global chat channels as well as the party and guild channels tha you can talk on. These channels work extremely well - especially the fact that you can move in and out of them easily (when you get tired of people talking about Chuck Norris, for example).

In SL, we could have a global chat channel (and subchannels, perhaps even user createable), as well as chat channels that are specific to a sim - you only have access to the sim channels when you are in the sim. Ideally the global chat channels could also be accessed externally through the web site. Town halls could be held on a specific channel, so that no matter where in SL you are, you could participate without needing the system of repeaters.

There are really a lot of possibilities. It would add a new level of communication within SL that is just not possible right now. The whole thing should be opt in - you join the channels you want to be in, and can move in and out of them at any time. As one method of communication is being taken away, I would love to see another added in world to help ensure that we can still globally communicate with each other in SL.

That's a good idea...something I was wishing they had as well...now I can't remember but can you make your own chanel like in SW:G in EQII (it's been a while)?

Oh and Chuck is pissed that you used his name and didn't give him any 'props'

I agree in the sense that a lack of a central place for the community to converge is a problem. What I do not like about that is spam can be irritating and unpleasent to read, sift through and deal with . I know from my experience in WoW that the global chat can at times be quite entertaining to read but this is typically because of individuals who are being disruptive in some way or just goofing off.

I can only imagine, with the lack of requirements on the registration for SL now, what *kinds* of chat one would see in a global chat in SL. I'm actually rather loathe to even think about it honestly.

Also, this kind of thing does not solve the problem where other privelages are concerned on these forums. Such as the posting of new products and services? I for one will NOT and would NOT sit in in a global chat on SL going "WTS (insert product)AT (insert store here) PST!"

Ugh....nooo thank you.

It's a great idea in theory, but what's to stop it from becoming like the Global Looking for Group channel in WoW? Basically useless for it's original purpose because of fucktards and spammers and Chuck Norris jokes.

Parcel channels too?

Maybe channels that are displayed in the Mozilla browser, and accessible from the web. That hold the chat for a while so you can log into a group's channel and see what your group members have had to say in the 500 messages or so.

Cris, great idea! maybe even subchannels for "General" vs. "Off Topic" chat?

i'm making a note of this idea to (hopefully) bring up at the SLCC.

while it may not be a perfect solution, it sure would be a pretty hefty band-aid.

I think parcel channels would be a great idea - for large parcels that have events, it would definitely make it easier to chat without having to worry if someone is in chat range, or without having to shout and use repeaters. Definitely adding more robust chat options into SL would be a good thing.

It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to build a simple IRC interface in to the SL client. Then, it's simply a matter of setting up channels based on whatever criteria....

This is totally missing from SL's MMO universe. I'm glad you pointed it out. Why don't you create a vote prop for it?

The abuse potential is unlimited for a global chat channel. One example brought up was the global looking for group channel in World of Warcraft. If you have never played the game you may not be able to identify but basically the channel was setup to a solve a problem of find players to adventure with no matter where you were in the game world. Instead the channel became a garbage spam channel by the kids and is at best used very minimally by the player base. Most players do not even bother trying to use it.

I would just as soon not see something like this implemented within SL.

Waaaaaa that was my idea. but you can have it i guess.
We definatly need a OOC channel too.

Maybe the new group system will allow group based chat channels. I s that coming next week?

I think it's a very good idea. In-world communications need to take a major step forward. Sub-channels, definitely. And a Linden channel for news and annoucements.

We do need a global means of communication, however I'm apprehensive about creating a global chat channel.

The problems that have to be addressed with a global chat channel are:

1. Residents' poor comprehension of chat scopes. (i.e. using global when regular will do). I've seen this very often (another game) where people are using map-wide communications when responding to someone who is using normal chat range.

2. Griefer abuse. There will be spammers, flooders, advertisers, and of course those who are just going to yell obscenities, insults and such.

Some structures that might work to make global chat possible:

1. Channel selectors that allow you to opt in to specific channels. (i.e. you can turn off global if you want).

2. A near-unlimited length mute list.

3. A market channel where ads can be announced but the channel cannot be used by objects. Advertisment on global channel can be ARed.

4. Objects may not use the global channel.

Furthermore, griefer/spammer/flooder abuse of the global channel can lead to grid-wide lag even with the above controls in place. If the mute filtering is done server side, the messages would slow down or will result in lag similar to our Channel 0 listener problem. If the mute filtering is done client side, we get the lag.

I don't mean to be negative, but a chat channel serves none of the purposes of a persistant written forum and the potential for abuse capable of rendering it useless for what it is good for, is just overwhelming.

More chat options in world is definitely a good thing though. Social spaces like cafes for example, would greatly benefit from being able to restrict conversations spatially or based on non permanent opt in options, so group discussions & conversations can take place without detracting from each other.

YES, please. I've been waiting for communication upgrades since forever. User-creatable chat channels (that are global, EVE online-style) and sim channels will greatly benefit communties and business as well in SL, bringing more effective ways to offer Customer Support and connect people.

edit: on the griefing problem, I'm sure there will be a feature included to select moderators.

The new groups thing has been in the preview grid 1.12 for several weeks. A lot of us have used it and seen it. It doesn't include chat channels. :/ Also it doesn't have group session muting either... Which was the 1 thing i wanted most of all. Seriusly i think chat channels would be much better then group sessions. This way you can choose if you wan't to see it or not instead of having to close it every time someone opens it to just say hi and leave or spam an ad and leave...